Derrick Thinks

holy
it sits across the water -
an ant bikes by
only to be overtaken by a bear.

oh
the cheese
there it sits -
was that a bird?

anyway
that thing -
i think i feel the river's breeze
even up here.

nobody notices the cheese.

the autumn chill has truly come
what a wait!

the windows are now all closed... apparently there's this obsession with keeping the warmth in. it's supposed to make us feel more comfortable. but i see closed windows as keeping the cold out. why?

the sooner we accept the seasons for what they are, the sooner we can heal the bitterness that exists in our hearts. it's caked like the frost on the windows. it won't go away; not unless you let it. let the windows open! let balance occur!

chipped ivory descends to illuminate the room with colourful sounds

*BANG*.
And as the victim lies on the cold, barren ground, warmed only by the trickling of blood from a bullet wound, he/she can only wonder, "Why didn't anybody prevent this from happening?"

Toronto has NOT lost its innocence. It is in fact the same city it's always been. Over time, however, volcanoes of frustration finally erupted in a flurry of murders and gun violence across the city. But what is the problem underneath it all? Do we need to get rid of all the guns in the city?

No.

The problem with this city, and with practically any other major city in the world, is politics. Politicians have a funny way of putting things. The government has an interesting way of dealing with things. It doesn't matter if you get rid of guns because those who want to obtain one can easily do so. Where there's a will, there's a way. And the problem is the will. Unless we actively work to change young people's lives by providing positive learning environments, adequate community centres, and other necessary programs and facilities, change will NOT happen. We will keep hearing about shootings. We will keep hearing about stabbings.

In my opinion, the government focuses too much on amending and not enough on preventing. We can recruit as many police officers as we want, but if the correct programs are in place, we won't NEED that many police officers. Those of you who live in Scarborough, allow me to pose a question: How often do you see police cars cruise down the streets?

I remember writing my grade ten EQAO literacy test. It seemed like a big thing at the time, and some teachers made it seem so. But the test is a big joke. While literacy is important, I don't believe that the government needs to spend millions to distribute a couple pieces of paper to each student, have them write a test, and receive the result of either a pass or a fail the following year. I am almost certain that you can ask each and every student who wrote that test about what they learned from it and the reply you'll receive is: "I don't know." We need to put our money where it matters.

So what am I trying to get at here? I'm trying to say, let's make 2006 a good year. Let's make sure we make the changes necessary to give impressionable youths the chance to be successful in the future. It doesn't matter how much firepower a gun has, it matters whether someone's behind it to pull the trigger.

Let's make Toronto a safer place to live.

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!

"And so it is." 2006. Another year has gone by in a flash. What have we done with time? Some of our goals have eluded us and I do believe that these are what we fashion resolutions out of. The problem is that they get recycled each year, and we give ourselves false promises every December 31st. Why not try something new this year? Forget the goals; they're not important. Live life in the now, and be happy.

Easier said than done for most, I suppose. I hope that the situation I'm in passes by as quickly as it was forged in the first place. Must I always do this to others? I can't hurt anyone again, and I don't think I can find another...

Why tradition? Why convention? Why the existence of constraints that hold me back from being with the one I love? Sometimes things don't make too much sense, and the world is bleak again. Someone lend me a light.

I feel like a hypocrite, going against my beliefs regarding the issue of shoving ads down readers' throats. However, hear me out on this one, as there is a reason (or perhaps, a couple of reasons) why I chose to insert that little ad you see at the top right of the screen there.

Firstly, I am personally a bit absent-minded. In addition to that, I know that a lot of people out there are. Sometimes, I see things that trigger my memory and I remember to buy that carton of milk that I needed so badly. Google's Adsense works so that the ads displayed are relevant to the content that I have on my site. So, chances are, if I talk about Damien Rice and an ad for Damien's CD appears, someone might click it and help both the artist continue making records and the reader obtain their own copy of beautifully composed music. Ads can be the right-hand man of large conglomerates wanting to take money from your pockets, or they can be a simple tool for young, aspiring artists to generate a means of revenue for themselves to keep producing music.

Secondly, I personally need a means of supporting what I do. As a university student and one whom the government does not take kindly to when it comes to student loans. I understand that the ads do not generate nearly enough money to even pay for even half a school year's meals, every little bit helps.

So I am terribly sorry for the ads, but that's just the way things are. I guess that's just life, eh? Sometimes things can be changed, sometimes things cannot. Some things are meant to be, and some are not. No matter what happens, though, the most important thing is to stay true to ourselves and be the best that we can be because in the end, it's all about what you think about yourself and the vibes that you generate due to your nature, whether it be a positive or a negative one.

Just wanted to share this. What do you think?

You're grown up now, you've changed.
You got years under your belt,
And experiences hover around you;
Grab the opportunities.

But what happened to those good old days?
Nostalgia...
It's what you long for,
It's what you really want.

You've got a job now, you're set.
You know you're just a step away,
And independence smothers you;
Get away from it all.

And what happened to those good old days?
Nostalgia...
It's what you look for,
It's what you really need.

I am and have always been quite a rational person. If you take a look into my toolbox, you will see logic and reason. However, it is sometimes more important to trust your senses. Reason will tell you that hitting your thumb while hammering a nail into a wall is not a good idea, but without the sensory perception of feeling, hitting your thumb may not seem so bad an idea.

Perhaps it's just a result of my thinking too much that I'm letting my senses fall into place, but lately it seems as though I've been acting on impulse and urges. I'm stuck at a crossroads and I'm not sure which side I'm supposed to be on.

In making a difficult choice, especially when it involves feelings, what do you, the reader of this post, usually do?